Japanese Porcelain
Baraset House offers a superb collection of Japanese porcelain produced in Arita during the Golden Age of early enamelled porcelain. The brilliant milky-white porcelain produced on Kyushu Island was known as 'White Gold' to European nobility and aristocrats - after the closure of the majority of kilns at Jingdezhen due to the dynasty change from Ming to Qing in the mid-17th century, the Dutch East India Company turned to Japan to fill its large orders of porcelain being shipped to the ruling houses of Europe.
The European obsession with Chinese & Japanese porcelain during the 17th and 18th centuries cannot be overstated - countless royals and nobles of Western Europe suffered a maladie de porcelaine; the most fanatical being King Augustus The Strong of Saxony who was famously known for trading an entire regiment of his Saxon Dragoon Guards for a group of the coveted porcelain pieces.
By the fall of the Chinese Ming dynasty in 1644, a system of stylized overglaze enamelling on milk-white porcelain began developing in Arita which has been credited to the Kakiemon family - these pieces created a sensation when they began to appear in Europe in the mid to late seventeenth century.
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Early Enamelled Figures, Kakiemon, Arita, circa 1665
A very early and rare pair of 17th century Kakiemon figures of bijin (Japanese courtesans) wearing uchikake (outer garment) enamelled in the Kakiemon style with kichō panels (Curtains of State) and sylized falling leaves
Arita, Kakiemon style, Hizen province, Japan
Early Edo period, Kanbun Era (1661-1673)
c1660-70
14.5 cm high x 6 cm wide across the base
Provenance:
Christie’s (London) ‘Japanese Works of Art’, 6 & 7 March 1989, lot 321 "A pair of Kakiemon models of bijin" (see final two images for Christie's auction catalogue and lot 321 coloured illustration of the present pair of Kakiemon bijin figures).
Possibly two of the “310 small statuettes” shipped to Holland in 1665 aboard the Nieuwenhoven out of the cargo of the Amerongen from Japan to Batavia.
Literature:
See Christie's (London) "Japanese Works of Art" 7 & 8 March 1989, lot 321, for the present pair with colour illustration.
For an almost identical pair, see Oliver Impey & Christian Jorg "Dragons, Tigers and Bamboo: Japanese Porcelain and Its Impact in Europe; The MacDonald Collection" (The Gardiner Museum of Ceramic Art, 2009), for an almost identical pair of bijin, museum number G05.12.25.1 and G05.12.25.2.
The standing courtesans are modelled wearing the uchikake robe (formal outer garment with no sash) over several luxuriant layers of najajuban (underkimonos) which are decorated in the very early Kakiemon palette of iron-red, green, blue and black enamels.
The large and flowing uchikake robe with draped sleeves is sparingly decorated with stylized maple leaves and rectangular panels known as kichō panels (Curtains of State), which depict room dividers that were used to shield court ladies from the eyes of men. In notable contrast to these privacy panels depicted on the back of their robes, the bijin are modelled coquettishly lifting the front of their outer garments to reveal the kosode (inner kimono) underneath, and to give the viewer a tantalizing glimpse of their delicate feet.
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Ai-Kakiemon Dish, Arita kiln, circa 1670-80
An extremely fine Ai-Kakiemon dish superbly and fluidly painted with falling snowflakes & winding mountain stream design
Ai-Kakiemon type, Arita ware, Hizen province, Japan
Edo Period (mid-17th century), Enpō period
circa 1670-80
Measuring 8 inches in diameter (21.5 cm); 0.85 inches in height (2.2 cm)
The very finely potted porcelain body of shallow circular form was produced during the pinnacle of the Prime Period of porcelain production in Arita. An outstanding example.
An identical dish titled as "The Snow Flakes over Stream Design Medium Plate" is illustrated in Kazuo Seki's Beauty of Prime Period Imari: selected works of under-glazed blue porcelain (Tokyo 1990), catalogue number 121, p.49 and p.87.
An identical dish is in the Collection of The Gardiner Museum of Ceramic Art (Toronto); Macdonald Collection of Japanese Porcelain (Toronto), museum number G20.9.5.
Condition report:
In very fine original condition with one tiny kintsugi repair to the rim edge at 12 o'clock.
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Ko-Kutani ruri ginsai type, Arita kiln, circa 1655-60
An extremely rare and important Ko-Kutani suiteki water dropper in the form of an eggplant (aubergine), the surface covered in a rich lapis lazuli ruri glaze and enamelled with a landscape and pavillion scene in red enamel, gold and silver ginsai decoration
Ko-Kutani ruri ginsai type, Arita ware, Hizen province, Japan
Edo Period (mid-17th century), Meireki-Manji period
circa 1655-60
Measuring 7.5 cm in height by 7.5 cm in length
Of extraordinarily finely modelled naturalistic form, the substantially potted bulbous body in the form of an eggplant, covered with an extremely pleasing ruri blue ground (lapis lazuli) glaze, the body enamelled with gold, silver and red decoration depicting a hut on an rocky embankment surrounded by pine trees, the naturalistically moulded leaves of the eggplant picked out with gold and red enamel, the stem of the eggplant opening to an upwards-pointing mouth with a small pierced airhole nearby among the leaves. The base unglazed.
The form is likely derived from Chinese examples of the Ming dynasty, such as the eggplant water-dropper in The British Museum PDF B694 described as "Porcelain water-dropper in form of an aubergine with stem-shaped spout with relief leaves....Naturalistic details painted on the leaves and stem. Ming Dynasty circa 1590-1610".
In 1659, Zacharias Wagenaer, Principal of the Dutch East India Company in Japan, sent a small shipment back to the VOC Directors in Amsterdam comprising an assortment of Japanese porcelain of his own choosing. He wrote in his report of 10th December 1659: "....I had contracted with a certain person for about 200 pieces after my own invention, to be made curiously on a blue ground with small silver and gold tendrilwork" (T. Volker 1954, p.136). These blue ground pieces called ruri Kutani were among the earliest Japanese porcelains shipped to Europe, according to Dr. Oliver Impey. The striking early blue ground Arita wares are extraordinarily rare but examples do exist in the British Museum, the Groningen Museum, and Hampton Court (London, UK). No other known comparable Ko-Kutani examples of this eggplant calligraphy water dropper form have been found.
Condition report:
In perfect original condition with virtually no wear to the enamelling.
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Pair of Cockerel Groups, Arita kiln, circa 1700
A rare pair of late 17th/early 18th century Arita porcelain models of Cockerel, Hen & Chick on a tree stump
Arita, figural Kakiemon type, Hizen province, Japan
Edo period (late 17th century/early 18th century)
circa 1700
The porcelain models measuring 14.5cm high (5-3/4 inches).
In superb original condition.
Each modelled with a large bushy tailed Bantam rooster with finely moulded feathers, picked out in black, green, red, aubergine and gilt enamels, a small hen roosting at his left side, a chick crouching beneath his right wing, all raised upon a moulded tree stump loosely and freely enamelled with splashes of black, green and aubergine washes. The porcelain Arita, Japan circa 1700.
An identical pair of Arita Cockerel, Hen & Chick models, mounted on French ormolu bases and with scrolling foliate-cast candle branches, sold Christie's (New York) auction 19031 'The Collector' October 8, 2020, lot 8.
An identical model of Arita Cockerel, Hen & Chick model in the Collection of Dr. Toshio Noda (Tokyo, Japan) illustrated p.109, figure 123. An identical model in The Stichting Paleis Het Loo National Museum (Netherlands).
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Ai-Kutani, Kusunokidani kiln, circa 1650-70
A very fine 17th century Ai-Kutani spiral moulded dish with pie-crust rim and sharply undulating cavetto, richly painted with a pair of deer climbing a rocky outcrop
Kusunokidani kiln, Ai-Kutani type, Arita, Hizen province, Japan
early Edo period (mid 17th century)
circa 1650-70
The very finely potted white porcelain body of shallow circular form with a sharply moulded pie crust rim dressed in iron brown fuchi-beni rim glaze with a superbly formed cavetto of undulating, spiralling form. The interior is boldly painted with an asymmetrical scene of a male and female deer climbing a rocky outcrop. Sanskrit characters encircling the well. The asymmetry of the design provides an excellent example of the Japanese aesthetic of The Beauty of Empty Space.
An unusual fuku mark to the reverse.
REFERENCES:
An identical dish in the Shibata Collection at the Kyushu Ceramic Museum, illustrated in Complete Catalogue of Shibata Collection (2019), no.0604, dated 1650-70, catalogued as "Sometsuke Iwashikamon Rinkasara Sometsuke Iwaka pattern ring flower plate 1650s-1670s"
Ai-Kutani, Arita kiln, circa 1660-70
A very rare, fine & iconic mid 17th century Arita Ai-Kutani type moulded tiny 'bean dish' (mame-sara) in the form of a jar, the interior sparsely decorated in underglaze cobalt blue with spring bracken tendrils and sprouting horsetail ferns, the reverse decorated with folded pine needles
Arita kiln, Ai-Kutani type, Hizen province, Japan
early Edo period, Kanbun era (1660-1673)
circa 1660-1670
(5.8 cm diameter; 4.9 cm high)
An iconic form of very early Japanese moulded porcelain in the shape of a storage jar, painted sparsely to the front in underglaze cobalt blue with spring bracken tendrils and sprouting horsetail ferns, the reverse decorated with folded pine needles. These small bean dishes, called mame-sara 豆皿 are revered in Japan; there is a love of the aesthetic beauty of small objects that fit snugly into the palm of one’s hand.
A beautiful and very fine form in perfect condition.
See 'A Complete Catalogue of the Shibata collection' for an almost identical dish, no.1865.
Ai-Kutani, Arita kiln, circa 1660-70
A very fine and rare 17th century Arita moulded small dish (mame-sara) in the form of a sweetfish (ayu) amongst seaweeds
Arita kiln, Ai-Kutani type, Hizen province, Japan
early Edo period, Kanbun era (1660-1673)
circa 1660-1670
The very finely moulded dish in the form of a leaping sweetfish (ayu) amongst seaweeds, painted in rich and vibrant tones of cobalt blue, the tail elegantly restored with kintsugi (gold), the reverse undecorated.
A very rare form with an exceptionally pleasing kintsugi restoration.
These small bean dishes, called mame-sara 豆皿 are revered in Japan; there is a love of the aesthetic beauty of small objects that fit into the palm of one’s hand.
Measurements:
11.0cm long; 7.5cm wide
Tatsutagawa design, Arita kiln, circa 1660-80
An elegant blue and white Arita dish finely painted with Tatsutagawa design (Tatsuta River) depicting falling maple leaves and lapping waves on a meandering river beneath a cloudy sky with with highlights picked out using sumi hajiki (ink-repel technique)
Arita ware, Hizen province, Japan
Edo Period (17th century)
circa 1660-80
The design is thought to represent the Tatsuta River, famous for the maple trees that were planted along its banks during the Edo period for the Chūgū-ji Temple at the advise of Shusei Fujimon, an ancient scholar of Japanese Classical literature. The hints of blue sky above the white reserved clouds showcase swirling winds picked out using sumi hajiki technique (literally meaning "ink repel”) in which ink is applied under areas of cobalt; during firing, the ink burns off removing any overlying color (Wilson 1995:118).
A sublimely pleasing pattern.
The reverse encircled with scrolling karakusa. Four spur marks on the base where the dish rested on its sagger in the kiln.
Measurements:
7.6 inches in diameter (19.4 cm); 1.2 inches in height (3.0 cm).
Condition report:
In excellent original condition.
Ai-Kutani, Kusunokidani kiln, circa 1650-60
An elegant and early mid-17th century Ai-Kutani moulded dish, very elegantly painted with a weeping willow tree superimposed upon overlapping folded paper (shikishi)
Kusunokidani kiln, Ai-Kutani type, Arita ware, Hizen province, Japan
Early Edo Period (mid-17th century)
circa 1650-60
The moulded ten-lobed grayish-white porcelain body of shallow circular form decorated with two shikishi (square special paper used for painting or calligraphy) reserved against the blue-ground centre, a boldly painted weeping willow featured on the uppermost paper square; the turned-down corner of the shikishi conveying an air of elegant informality so greatly prized by the Japanese.
The reverse asymmetrically encircled with ginko leaves and a trailing vine. On the base is a fuku mark within a square cartouche. Three spur marks on the base where the dish rested on its sagger in the kiln.
This dish - a most refined and elegant example of the early so-called Ai-Kutani wares produced in Arita - is even more notable as it can be strongly attributed to the important early kiln of Kusunokidani which is now believed to be the kiln at which Kakiemon I (1586-1666) perfected his craft in the late 1640s and throughout the 1650s before establishing his own kiln (Old Kakiemon kiln B) at Nangawara sometime in the 1660s.
Identical sherds of this shikishi & willow design dish have been excavated at the Kusunokidani kiln site.
With Japanese paulownia wood storage box.
Enamelled Nigoshide Arita ware, Kakiemon, circa 1690-1710
A very fine & rare relief-moulded Kakiemon nigoshide porcelain serving dish brilliantly enamelled with The Three Friends of Winter (Pine, Prunus & Bamboo)
Kakiemon kiln, Arita, Hizen province, Japan,
Edo period, Genroku Era (1688-1703)/Hōei Era (1704-1711)
circa 1690-1710
Literature:
A pair of identical long dishes in The British Museum. In The British Museum Quarterly, The Kington Baker Bequest, volume 14, Soame Jenyns notes: "the bequest from the small but choice collection of the late Mr. Kington Baker has yielded several interesting pieces of Japanese porcelain to the Museum collections. In particular six pieces of porcelain decorated in polychrome enamels in the style of the potter Kakiemon....the elegant quatrefoil tray (PL XXI) shows a thick greasy white glaze....this is almost transparent and full of bubbles. The enamels if anything are even more brilliant, and they have been traced over a raised design of a fir-tree, prunus, and bamboo, amid rocks and clouds. It is difficult to date this piece with any security, but I should place it...possibly about 1700."
Oblong serving tray, or long dish, with fluted corners, the elegantly press-moulded nigoshide porcelain body with shallow relief-moulded decoration featuring a central large pine tree issuing from a Scholar’s Rock, its gnarled trunk extending upwards into a swirling bank of ruyi clouds, the cavetto also relief-moulded with blossoming prunus and bamboo amongst rockwork; the relief-moulding decorated in the Kakiemon style with polychrome enamels of iron-red, blue, turquoise, yellow and black with gilt highlights. The reverse undecorated.
Length 20.2 cm (8.3 inches)
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Pie-crust moulded dish, Arita kiln circa 1670-90
A 17th century Arita blue & white moulded dish with pie-crust rim and undulating cavetto, very finely painted with a pair of egrets at the waters edge amongst bound rock weirs
Arita ware, Hizen province, Japan
early Edo period (17th century)
circa 1670-90
References:
An identical dish in the Shibata Collection at the Kyushu Ceramic Museum, illustrated in Complete Catalogue of Shibata Collection (2019), no.1599, dated 1670-90.
The finely potted white porcelain body of shallow circular form with a moulded pie-crust rim dressed in iron brown fuchi-beni rim glaze and a beautifully formed cavetto of undulating, spiralling form.
The interior is very finely and asymmetrically painted with a pair of egrets frolicking at the waters edge, amongst net-bound boulders and lapping waves. Bound rock baskets, used in Japanese as breakwaters or 'rock weirs' were often depicted in 17th century Japanese painting, and more rarely, in porcelain designs. Large leaves, single large flower head and a sole twisted blossom issue from amidst the rockwork, with scattered florets at the bases of the weirs.
The reverse encircled with a single-lined scrolling vine and florets.
8 inches in diameter (20.5 cm); 1-1/4 inches in height (2.9 cm).
Export Ewer, Chokichidani kiln, Arita circa 1665
A Very Early & Rare Wine Ewer of European form, made in Arita for export by the Dutch East India Company, painted in the Chinese Transitional Style
Chokichidani kiln, Arita, Hizen province, Japan
early Edo period, Kanbun era (1660-1673)
circa 1665
Measuring 21.3 cm 8.42 inches in height
Exhibited:
The Tonbodama Art Museum Exhibition (1996). Illustrated p.63 cat. 60.
Literature:
see Impey, Oliver. Catalogue of the Collection of the Ashmolean Museum (2002). Impey illustrates is a fragmentary ewer dating to 1666 found at Chokichidani kiln site, identical to the present ewer.
A nearly identical ewer in the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford, Story Fund EA2000.4, also attributed to workshops at the Chokichdani kiln.
see Jorg, Christian. Fine & Curious: Japanese Export Porcelain in Dutch Collections, p.49, cat. 178.
This ovoid-shpaed export wine ewer - with its form based on German stoneware, its distinctively Japanese spreading takefushi (bamboo-noded) foot, its bold painting adopted directly from the Chinese Transitional style of the late Ming Dynasty, and pierced loop handle destined for European silver-mounts - stands as a testament to the highly active trade-routes of the 17th century. Created in Japan, of European shape, painted in the Chinese style and ordered by the Dutch East India company for shipment to Amsterdam; this piece is truly representative of historical trade and cross-cultural influence.
The straight neck painted with a band of foliage, the sides painted in fine underglaze cobalt blue tones with a continuous scene of scholars conversing in a terraced garden among willow, pine and a waterfall, flowering sprays of lotus to the neck, moulded circles around the foot, with some kiln-grit adhering to the outside and inside of the foot. The loop handle pierced, but unmounted.
Jorg describes the takefushi shape of the bulging foot as spreading and then turning sharply inwards - a uniquely Japanese feature known as 'bamboo-noded'.
Ewer, European Form, Chokichidani kiln, Arita, circa 1665
A large & striking 17thc Japanese Export jug of European form, modelled after a German stoneware bier-krug
decorated in Chinese 'Transitional style' with 'Scholars in the Wilderness'
made for export to Europe by the Dutch East India Company (VOC)
Chokichidani kiln, Arita, Hizen province, Japan
Early Edo period (17th Century), Kanbun Era (1661-1673)
circa 1665
Measuring 24.8cm in height (9 3/4 inches in height)
The oviform ewer modelled after German stoneware form (beer jug/bier-krug/Bellarmine) decorated in underglaze blue in the Chinese Transitional style, with waisted neck decorated with upright Dutch tulips, the applied C-shaped pierced loop handle decorated with diagonal geometrical patterns. The impressively-sized bulbous body superbly and energetically painted with groups of Scholars in the Wildness, watching the falling leaves and surrounded by pine trees, maples and rockwork.
The pierced handle was made to be fitted with a silver-mount after imporation in Europe - for an example, see a similarly shaped vessel with contempory Dutch silver mounts in The Metropolitan Museum of Art, accession number 2002.447.44.
A similar example, slightly smaller and without mounts, in The British Museum and dated to 1655-60.
Sherds bearing this stylized Transitional decoration have only been found at the Chokichidani kiln.
Literature:
A similar example in The Ashmolean Museum dated circa 1660-80, formerly in the collection of Soame Jenyns and gifted by Gerald Reitlinger.
A similar example in The British Museum dated circa 1655-60.
A similar example, with contemporary silver mounts, illustrated in Brennan Ford, Barbara & Impey, Oliver 'Japanese Art from the Gerry Collection in the Metropolitan Museum of Art', no.37.
Japanese Export, European Form, Arita kiln, circa 1660-80
A very rare & fine 17thc Japanese Export bowl & cover
of European form known in France as 'ecuelle' (broth bowl & cover)
decorated in the Chinese 'Transitional style' with figures & terraces
made for export to Europe by the Dutch East India Company (VOC)
Arita kiln, Hizen province, Japan
Early Edo period (17th Century), Kanbun/Enpo Era (1661-1681)
circa 1660-80
Measuring 17cm in width
Modelled after a silver/gold European form known in France as 'ecuelle' - a bowl which was given to a noblewoman on her birthing bed, containing a hearty broth to revive the new mother after child-birth. The bowl was traditionally given as a gift by the father, and each of the handles show three demi-flowerheads, or hearts, representative of the father, mother and newborn child.
The exterior of the bowl is decorated in in the Transitional style, in underglaze cobalt blue with Chinese male and female figures in front of a fenced terrace amongst rockwork, bamboo and pine trees, the low domed cover similarly decorated with a crisply modelled finial in the form of a fruit spray.
A superb example of 17thc trade, this piece beautifully demonstrates cross-cultural style: taking its shape from a European metalwork original, it's decoration from a Chinese Transitional period design, and it's materials and artistry from Japan, on order to the Dutch East India Company to be shipped out of Japan and sold a noble family in Europe.
Literature:
For a similar example, without the cover, see Soame Jenyns, 'Japanese Porcelain' (London 1965) no. 21a(ii) (from the collection of Mr & Mrs Soame Jenyns).
Export ware, Arita kiln circa 1670-1690
A very finely potted 17th century blue & white export ewer
Arita, Hizen province, Japan
Early Edo Period (17th century), Genroku era (1688-1703)
circa 1670-90
Measuring 19 cm in height
The shape of this finely potted Japanese porcelain ewer can be traced back through Yuan dynasty porcelain to near Eastern metalwork. The slender flaring upright spout attached to the neck by a delicate S-shaped strut, the pear-shaped bulbous body superbly decorated with male and female courting figures on a terrace with bamboo and pine and scrolling clouds overhead.
The scrolling loop handle pierced for European silver mounts.
Similar pieces can be found in the Shibata Collection and the British Museum.
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Kakiemon style, Export ware, Arita kiln circa 1670
A very good Ai-Kakiemon style circular dish, decorated with a pair of ho-o birds (phoenixes) perched upon a rocky outcrop
Ai-Kakiemon style, Arita, Hizen province, Japan
early Edo period (late 17th century)
circa 1670-90
A very good Japanese early Edo period Ai Kakiemon style dish, vividly decorated in underglaze cobalt blue with a pair of ho-o birds (phoenixes) perched upon a rocky outcrop amongst flowers and vines. The rim decorated with a scrolling bird and vine pattern.
The background displays an unusual number of stars in the sky: thirteen.
Made for export to Europe through the Dutch East India Company.
A similar example illustrated in Ko-Imari from the collection of Oliver Impey, (Barry Davies Oriental Art, London, 1997), pp. 100-101, cat. 49.
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Ko-Imari, Arita kiln, circa 1690
A fine and boldly painted Ko-Imari porcelain dish with rinka rim
strikingly decorated with a Pair of Ayu Sweetfish
Arita kiln
Early Edo period
circa 1690
Measuring 20 cm (7.87 inches) in diameter
Mark:
a cobalt blue Chenghua apocryphal six-character mark with a circle to the base
The finely potted biscuit-fired white porcelain of circular form with a fine lobed rinka rim, the interior very boldly painted with a strikingly contrasting and balanced pair of swimming sweetfish in fine underglaze cobalt blue showcasing strong tonal variations and expert brushwork.
The reverse decorated with a fine double-lined hana-karakusa scroll. Five spar marks and some kiln-grit adhering the the footring.
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Early Enamelled Kakiemon Bowl, Arita kiln, circa 1650
An extremely rare and attractive mid 17th century Early Enamelled Ware bowl decorated in the very early Kakiemon palette with a pavilion and waterfall
Arita kiln, Kakiemon type, Hizen province, Japan
early Edo period, Joo era (1650-55)
circa 1650
Measuring 4.5 inches (11.5 cm) diameter and 2.5 inches (6.5 cm) high
Enamelled in brilliantly translucent and vibrant tones of overglaze blue and green enamels with rich iron-red enamels and black outlining. The continuous landscape featuring a pavilion nested between rocky outcrops and pine trees beside a waterfall with grasses and young pine growing from behind rocks. The use of blank space in contrast with the vividly enamelled landscape scene is particularly effective in this composition.
Comes in a custom purple silk shifuku 仕服 pouch tied with gold braided silk cord and stored in a fitted paulownia wood storage box with silk ribbons.
A magnificent and vibrant example of Early Enamelled Ware.
Two identical bowls were sold at Bonhams (Old Bond St, London) Fine Japanese Art, 6 November 2007, lot 348 "Early porcelain - A pair of matching Kakiemon bowls c1650-70".
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Early Enamelled Ware, Kakiemon related, Arita, circa 1650-75
An important set of five 17th century Early Enamelled Ware (Kakiemon related) abalone shell shaped mukōzuke dishes, brilliantly enamelled in overglaze blue, green and black with a flowering Himalayan blue poppy and two seed-heads issuing from the scalloped dish edge
Arita, Early Enamelled Ware, Kakiemon related, Hizen province, Japan
early Edo period (mid-late 17th century)
12.9 cm long x 9 cm wide x 2.9 cm high
Literature:
See Impey, Oliver, Japanese Export Porcelain: Catalogue of the Collection of the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford (Amsterdam: Hotei Publishing, 2002), pg.93, no.97 (Story Fund, 1989.168) for the only other known recorded identical example, categorized as Early Enamelled Ware; Kakiemon-related.
The present set of five abalone shaped dishes enamelled in blue, green and black with flowering poppies sprouting from the scalloped dish edge represent a brilliantly executed production of bright, almost translucent colouring in the very early enamelled ware of Japan.
An identical example to the present set was acquired by the Ashmolean Museum (Oxford, UK) in 1989 (Story Fund 1989.168) classified by Dr. Oliver Impey as "Early Enamelled Ware - Kakiemon related style, Arita". This extraordinarly rare early enamelled blue poppy dish has been catagorized both as Ko-Kutani and early Kakiemon lineage.
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Early Enamelled Ware, Kakiemon-related, Arita kiln, circa 1650-75
An Early Enamelled Ware Kakiemon-related shell-shaped dish on high foot, enamelled in two-tone overglaze blue with a flowering Himalayan blue poppy and two poppy seed-heads (pods) growing from the scalloped edge
Early Enamelled Ware; Kakiemon-related, Arita, Japan
early Edo period (third quarter 17th century)
c1650-1675
Measuring 12.9 cm (5.1") in length; 9 cm (3.5") in width; 2.9 cm (1.14") in height
A similar example of this exceptionally rare dish is on display in the Japanese Gallery of the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford. It is thought that the present dish may predate the Ashmoleon example, which differs only in that the Ashmolean example has two-tone enamelling in overglaze blue and green, whereas the present example has two-tone enamelling in dark overglaze blue and light overglaze blue.
No other example of this early blue poppy design on a shell-shaped Arita dish is known.
An incredibly rare piece of early Japanese porcelain history, likely representing a pivotal period in which the early Ko-Kutani enamels transitioned into the developing style of the Kakiemon.
Literature:
see Impey, Oliver 'Japanese Export Porcelain: The Collection of the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford' (2002), pg.93, no.97 (Story Fund, 1989.168) categorized as Early Enamelled Ware; Kakiemon-related, for one of six recorded polychrome examples with both blue and green enamels (five of which are currently in our collection).
Bird form kōgō (incense container), Arita kiln, circa 1660-80
A delightful and very rare 17th century Arita porcelain bird form kōgō (incense container) in the shape of a swallow, its alert head tilted inquisitively to the left, with delicately moulded wings crossed upon its back, finely and naturalistically painted in underglaze cobalt blue
Arita ware, Hizen province, Japan
Edo Period (17th century)
circa 1660-80
Measuring 9.2 cm in length by 3.8 cm in height
A very rare and attractive bird form porcelain box (incense container) in the shape of a swallow, with details and feathers finely and naturalistically painted in underglaze cobalt blue, the lower oval body form section in plain white glaze.
The important documentary Japanese porcelain shipment of the 'Nieuwenhoven', a vessel of the Dutch East India Compay which transported the first recorded Japanese porcelain shipment out of the 'Amerongen' from Batavia in 1665, includes in its cargo list '298 little swallows' (small boxes in the shape of swallows) which were shipped to Holland and quickly sparked a Japanese porcelain craze throughout the noble and aristocratic houses of Europe.
Incense containers were originally made for the Japanese tea ceremony, and it is likely that few 17th century Europeans would have understood its use as a container to house blended aromatic ingredients, seeing it instead as a highly decorative porcelain box. The swallow is a symbol of good fortune, fidelity in marriage, and fertility in Japan, and 17th century Japanese porcelain models of swallows are very rare.
Fits snugly in the palm of ones hand - as delicate as the little bird it emulates.
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Early Enamelled dish, Ko-Kutani type, Arita kiln, circa 1650-55
A very rare mid 17th century early enamelled (iroe) Arita Ko-Kutani type porcelain dish enamelled with octopus arabesques & cherry blossoms, Arita, c1650-55
Arita kiln, Early Enamelled ware, ko-Kutani type, Hizen province, Japan
early Edo period (mid 17th century)
circa 1650-55
Measuring 15.0 cm (6.0") in diameter; 3.5 cm (1.5") in height
The rather thickly potted white porcelain dish of circular form with a flared rim, the interior asymmetrically painted in underglaze blue with flowering chrysanthemums and leaves which unusually wrap completely around the rim of the dish and continue uninterrupted onto the reverse. Enamelled in overglaze rich yellow tako-karakusa (octopus arabesque scrolls) and with five brick-red overglaze cherry blossoms which appear to float on circular reserves.
The coloured palette is traditionally associated with the early enamelled wares of the town of Kutani. Though it was previously thought that this type of Japanese porcelain was made at the Old Kutani kilns in Enuma County, it is now accepted that dish was made in the middle of the 17th century in the Arita kilns. We can now call this type of early Japanese porcelain "Arita porcelain of Ko-Kutani type".
The reverse with a particularly high foot rim and fuku mark in underglaze blue, now associated with the Kusunokidani kiln, Arita, Japan.
Pair of Cockerel Groups, Arita kiln, circa 1700
A rare pair of late 17th/early 18th century Arita porcelain models of Cockerel, Hen & Chick on a tree stump
mounted upon antique French Rococo pierced ormolu bases
Arita, figural Kakiemon type, Hizen province, Japan
Edo period (late 17th century/early 18th century)
circa 1700
The porcelain models measuring 14.5cm high (5-3/4 inches);
including the ormolu mounts measuring 17.8cm high (7 inches).
Each modelled with a large bushy tailed Bantam rooster with finely moulded feathers, picked out in black, green, red, aubergine and gilt enamels, a small hen roosting at his left side, a chick crouching beneath his right wing, all raised upon a moulded tree stump loosely and freely enamelled with splashes of black, green and aubergine washes. The porcelain Arita, Japan circa 1700.
Mounted in France on gilt-bronze (ormolu) bases in the Louis XV taste.
An identical pair of Arita Cockerel, Hen & Chick models, mounted on French ormolu bases and with scrolling foliate-cast candle branches, sold Christie's (New York) auction 19031 'The Collector' October 8, 2020, lot 8.
An identical model of Arita Cockerel, Hen & Chick model in the Collection of Dr. Toshio Noda (Tokyo, Japan) illustrated p.109, figure 123. An identical model in The Stichting Paleis Het Loo National Museum (Netherlands).
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Ai-Kakiemon, Arita kiln circa 1670
A very fine Ai-Kakiemon dish on high foot in the Nabeshima taste
superbly painted with gnarled prunus tree, banded hedge & snowflakes
Old Kakiemon B kiln, Ai-Kakiemon type, Arita, Hizen province, Japan
early Edo period (17th century)
Kanbun era (1660-1673)/Enpo Era (1673-1680)
circa 1670
Measuring 15.3cm diameter ; 3.5cm high
Of moulded form with scalloped rim dressed in iron-red fuchi-beni (lip rouge), sublimely decorated in underglaze cobalt blue with an assymmetrical scene of snowflakes drifting onto banded hedge fences enclosing ancient gnarled prunus (blossoming cherry) trees.
Delicately moulded and painted in the Nabeshima taste, the dish is raised on a notably high foot painted with comb design and two concentric rings, the reverse of the dish assymmetrically decorated with flower sprays.
The reverse bears a single spur mark and character mark within a double square. This character mark, originally the inscription of the Kusunokitani kiln around the 1650s is seen in the works of the Chokichidani kiln, and the Old Kakiemon kilns, especially Old Kakiemon B kiln. This character mark was in use in the Old Kakiemon B kiln beginning around 1660 and out of use by 1680.
According to Kazuo Seki in Beauty of Prime Period Imari: selected works of under-glazed blue porcelain (Tokyo 1990) "the most superior works of small plates and small bowls of this period...[these] works hae the intricacy, beauty in form and usefullness that show technique in its perfection...in these perfect works you will recognize the refined world of the under-glazed blue with extremely delicate line drawing; these quality are comparable with The Nabeshima Ware.
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Ai-Kakiemon, Arita kiln circa 1660-70
An Exceptionally Fine and Early Ai-Kakiemon moulded porcelain small dish (mame-sara) in the form of an open peony flower, the petals painted in sumptuous cobalt blue tones with highlights picked out using ink-repel technique (sumi hajiki)
Kusunokidani kiln or Old Kakiemon B kiln (Nangawara), Arita, Hizen province, Japan
early Edo period, Kanbun era (1660-1673)
circa 1660-1670
Measureming 10.8cm long by 6.5cm wide
Extremely finely and delicately moulded floral form on a high foot, gorgeously painted in rich and varied tones of cobalt blue in the naturalistic form of an open peony flower, the petals elegantly decorated using sumi hajiki technique (literally meaning "ink repel”) in which ink is applied under areas of cobalt; during firing, the ink burns off removing any overlying color (Wilson 1995:118). The underside decorated with delicate sprigs of daffodils; the high footrim encircled by a comb design in the Nabeshima taste.
These small dishes, called mame-sara 豆皿 are revered in Japan; there is a love of the aesthetic beauty of small objects that fit into the palm of one’s hand. This particular example is extremely finely potted and painted.
A simply superb example representing the early Ai-Kakiemon style manufactured in either the Kusunokidani kiln or Old Kakiemon B kiln in Shimo-Nangawarayama in the Kanbun period. Recent research has suggested that Kakiemon I (1586-1666) worked at the Kusunokidani kiln before moving to Nangawara to establish his own kiln (Old Kakiemon B kiln) in the 1660s. It is suggested that this mark is the character mark used by Kakiemon I first at Kusunokidani kiln and then in Nangawara.
Underglaze cobalt blue character mark within a double square to the base.
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Early enamelled ware, Ko-Kutani type, Arita kiln circa 1650
An Important and Exceptionally Fine Early Enamelled Arita Iroe Ko-Kutani non-biscuit (namagake) porcelain dish
depicting Wild Geese and Reed (Ashi Gan No Zu)
Early Enamelled Ware, previously called Ko-Kutani type, Arita kiln, Hizen province, Japan
early Edo period (mid 17th century), Joo era (1650-55)
circa 1650
Measuring 14cm (5.51 inches) in diameter
Literature: see the exhibition catalogue of Ko-Kutani: Aote-to-kozara, Hankyu Hyakkaten, 1974 (Takigawa Hoseido, Catalogue of an exhibition organized by and held at Hanyu Hyakkaten, Nov.8-13, 1974, Hankyu Dentetsu Kabushiki Kaisha), monochrome plate no. 85 for an identical Ko-Kutani circular dish with wild geese and reeds.
With outstretched wings, a wild goose decends to the waters below, honking greeting at his mate who stands by another goose on a reedy sandbank. This theme of 'Goose Descending to Sandbar' is derived from the great Song cycle of painting - 'Eight Views of the Xiao and Xiang Rivers', the earliest known painted version by Song Di (c.1015 - c.1080). This theme was beloved in Japan. The composition on this piece is very similar to a silk painting by Lu Ji (c.1420 - c.1505) entitled 'Lu ding lai yan' ('Wild Geese Returning to Reedy Sandbank') illustrated in Gugong shuhua tulu (Palace Museum Catalogue of Calligraphy and Paintings), col.7, p.179. The theme of geese in late autumn on a lonely river bank heralds the coming of winter.
This very early Arita-kiln non-biscuit (namagake) porcelain of circular form with gently flared rim is covered with a very pale bluish-grey glaze, the interior superbly painted with the five overglaze enamels of pale yellow, brilliant blue, turquoise green, iron red and bold aubergine, with black outlining, depicting a wild goose in flight above two geese standing amongst reeds on a sandbank. The underside is decorated with black outlined turquoise-green symbolic objects and iron red tassels. This early enamelled dish was manufactured in Arita just before trade with Europe through the V.O.C. (Dutch East India Company) began.
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Kakiemon-related, Arita kiln, circa 1655-65
An extremely fine and rare pair of 17th century Japanese moulded dishes (mukōzuke) in the form of peacocks, superbly and fluidly painted in rich tones of underglaze cobalt blue
Arita kiln, Ai-Kakiemon type, Hizen province, Japan
Early Edo Period
circa 1660-80
An extraordinarily rare pair of moulded dishes (mukōzuke) in the form of peacocks, very finely and crisply moulded and raised on a tall foot, naturalistically decorated in very rich and varied tones of cobalt blue that appear to float in the velvety glaze.
The reverse is distinctively decorated with wheat grasses and flowering plants above a footrim border decorated with geometric overlapping waves.
These fine peacock dishes have individual lined bags and a blue presentation cushion, all fitted within an antique wooden storage box.
The mukōzuke are small dishes for serving an 'amuse-bouche' as part of the traditional Kaiseki meal which precedes the drinking of the ceremonial tea in the traditional Japanese Tea Ceremony.
Provenance:
with Robert McPherson Oriental Art (Friesland, Netherlands)
Condition
Superb original condition; no damage or restoration.
Early enamelled ware, Ko-Kutani type, Arita kiln circa 1650-60
A finely potted mid 17th century Early Enamelled (iroe) Arita Ko-Kutani type non-biscuit (namagake) porcelain dish depicting a sandy shoreline with a hut amongst rocks and willows, sailing ships in the distance
Arita kiln, Early Enamelled ware, Ko Kutani type or an early enamellers workshop, Hizen province, Japan
early Edo period (mid 17th century)
circa 1650-60
Decorated in a vibrant palette of aubergine, rich emerald green, dark yellow and opaque red with black outling, with an exceptionally pleasing and calming use of blank space, epitomizing the Japanese Beauty of Emptiness (yohaku no bi). The reverse undecorated.
The coloured palette is traditionally associated with the early enamelled wares of the town of Kutani. Though it was previously thought that this type of Japanese porcelain was made at the Old Kutani kilns in Enuma County, it is now accepted that this thinly potted circular dish was made in the middle of the 17th century in the Arita kilns. We can now call this type of early Japanese porcelain "Arita porcelain of Ko-Kutani type".
With a Japanese paulownia wood storage box bearing the inscription 'Early Edo Period' and ribbon tie.
Measurements
14.6 cm diameter, 2.3 cm high
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Ai-Kakiemon, Nangawara kiln, Arita, circa 1690
A Highly Important Documentary blue & white Kakiemon dish
Genroku era (1688-1703)
from the Royal Collection of Augustus the Strong of Saxony
circa 1690
Marked on reverse with Wheel-Incised JOHANNEUM Japanese Palace Inventory number 'N:184~~~'
Measuring 23.8 cm in diameter
Marks:
Bearing fuku mark for 'happiness' in underglaze blue, and incised with the Johanneum inventory number N:184 ~~~ from the Japanese Palace, Dresden.
Provenance:
From the Royal Collections of Augustus the Strong (1670-1733), Elector of Saxony and King of Poland
This superby painted Ai-Kakiemon (blue Kakiemon) dish displays the finest Kakiemon features, the floriform rim moulded in ten pointed lobes edged in fuchi-beni iron-rim dressing. Painted in exceptionally fine and rich graduated underglaze cobalt blue tones with a snarling tiger beneath a grinning dragon, the former representing The Earth, the latter allegorical of The Heavens.
Literature: An identical example (without the Johanneum inventory mark) is held in the collection of The Stichting Twickel, Delden, The Netherlands, JK 38, and is illustrated in The Oriental Ceramics Society publication 'Porcelain for Palaces: The Fashion for Japan in Europe, 1650-1750' (1990), plate 126.
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Early enamelled ware, Ko-Kutani type, Arita kiln circa 1650
A very Fine and Early Enamelled Arita Iroe Ko-Kutani non-biscuit (namagake) porcelain footed bowl
depicting Ho-o birds encircling a spurious Chenghua reign mark
Ko-Kutani type, Arita, Hizen province, Japan
early Edo period (mid 17th century)
Joo era (1650-55)
circa 1650
Provenance:
A fine Japanese Private Collection, Kyushu, Japan
Literature:
Ogi, I. Shoki Imari kara ko-Kutani yoshiki, page 187, colour plates 212 and 213.
This slightly thickly potted non-biscuit Arita-kiln porcelain of circular form with curved sides set on a typically small foot, covered with a blue-grey tinged glaze partly thickly pooled, the interior painted in underglaze cobalt blue, fine original iron red and overglaze enamels with a pair of ho-o birds in flight to the side walls, an underglaze-blue spurious Chenghua six-character mark within cobalt-blue and iron red circles, the underside encircled by folded pine needles (ori-matsuba), kiln-grit adhering to the unglazed footrim.
This early enamelled dish was manufactured in Arita just before trade with Europe through the V.O.C. (Dutch East India Company) began. It is excessively rare to find authentic early Ko-Kutani of this period and quality in the West.
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Ai-Kutani, Chokichidani kiln, Arita circa 1655
A Splendid and Exceedingly Rare Early Ai-Kutani moulded dish with pie-crust rim and sharply undulating cavetto, superbly painted with flowering branches of Peony issuing from Rockwork
Chokichidani kiln, Arita, Hizen province, Japan
early Edo period, Joo era (1652-55)
circa 1655
Measuring 20.3 cm (7.99 in) in diameter
Mark:
A cobalt-blue Kaku-Fuku seal character on the reverse within a double square, the edge of the footring burnt red, thickly potted base.
Literature:
An identical dish in the Shibata Collection at the Kyushu Ceramic Museum, illustrated in Catalogue VII, no.111.
Similar moulded porcelain dishes illustrated in Yamashita, Sakuro "Ai-Kutani to Ai-Kakiemon" (1983), and in Tsuchioka, K. "The Shibata Collection, vol.II, nos. 155-157.
The exceptional finely potted white porcelain body of shallow circular form with a sharply moulded pie-crust rim dressed in iron brown fuchi-beni rim glaze with a superbly formed cavetto of undulating, spiralling form.
The interior is boldly painted with a large central circular medallion depicting flowering branches of peony issuing from rockwork on a steep ground, the reverse encircled with a finely drawn double-lined scrolling hana-karakusa.
Ai-Kakiemon, Kusunokidani or Old Kakiemon B kiln, Arita circa 1660-1670
An Exceedingly Striking, Fine and Early Ai-Kakiemon
non-biscuit (namagake) porcelain dish
depicting Cranes and Bamboo
Kusunokidani or Old Kakiemon B kiln, Arita, Hizen province, Japan
early Edo period, Kanbun era (1661-1673)
circa 1660-1670
Measuring 21.3cm (8.38 inches) in diameter
Mark:
underglaze cobalt blue character mark within a double square to the base
A simply superb example representing the transition between the Ai-Kutani style and the Ai-Kakiemon style manufactured in either the Kusunokidani kiln or Old Kakiemon B kiln in Shimo-Nangawarayama in the Kanbun period. According to Koji Ohashi "among all the inscriptions used by the Old Kakiemon kiln, this [particular character mark] represents the very characteristic of the Old Kakiemon's work." (Seki p.102) Recent research has suggested that Kakiemon I (1586-1666) worked at the Kusunokidani kiln before moving to Nangawara to establish his own kiln (Old Kakiemon B kiln) in the 1660s.
The interior is very asymmetrically and naturalistically painted in sharp, stunningly vivid strokes of cobalt blue - an exceptionally fine example of the Ai-Kakiemon (Blue Kakiemon) style. The very early Kakiemon non-biscuit (namagake) porcelain of circular form with gently flared rim is covered with a very pale bluish-grey glaze, the interior superbly and sharply painted with the a pair of cranes among bamboo shoots. The reverse is finely encircled with a very neatly drawn scrolling karakusa, and a cobalt blue kaku-fuku seal mark within a double square to the base. The underside set with three spar marks, and the edge of the footrim burnt orange.
This early transitional dish is exceptionally rare in that it marks a period when both non-biscuit fired and biscuit-fired porcelains were manufactured at the same time and at the same place - on the cusp of when the so-called Ai-Kutani style would be superseded by that of the Ai-Kakiemon.
Ko-Imari, Arita kiln, circa 1660-1680
A Splendid Blue and White Arita porcelain dish boldly painted with a Crane and Turtle (Tsuru Kame), representative of Friendship, Devotion & Longevity
Arita kiln, Hizen province, Japan
Early Edo period (17th Century)
circa 1660-1680
Measuring 20.8 cm (8.18 inches) in diamter, 2.9 cm (1.14 inches) high
This very fine late 17th century Arita white porcelain dish of circular form with a flared rim, the interior asymmetrically painted in fine underglaze cobalt blue tones with three auspicious symbols, a crane in flight above a perpetually-lived turtle (Minogame) and a pine issuing by the partly snow-clad rockwork, the underside decorated with karakusa scrolling, a cobalt-blue circle to the base set with four spar marks, some kiln-grit adhering to the footring.
According ancient Japanese legend, gtsuru wa sennen, kame wa mannenh, the crane lives a thousand years, and the turtle ten thousand years. These auspicious symbols of longevity are seen as bearers of good fortune and long-lasting friendship or devotion; the crane having only one partner for life. The tortoise is also The Guardian of the North and represents winter; this dish bearing a snowy bank beneath a pine tree.
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Ko-Imari, Arita kiln, circa 1670-1690
A late 17the century Arita blue and white dish superbly and boldly painted with two large clams and seaweeds
Arita kiln, Ko-Imari taste, Hizen province, Japan
Early Edo Period (17th Century)
circa 1670-1690
Measuring 23.8 cm in diameter
Mark:
Running fuku in underglaze cobalt blue on reverse
A very finely potted lobed dish painted in rich cobalt tones with a pair of large clams (hamaguri) and seaweeds (kaisou).
This dish - decorated strongly and boldly in the Japanese taste - was certainly made for the home market, and not for export to Europe through the V.O.C. (Dutch East India Company).
The famous Shibata collection at the Kyushu Museum shows several late 17th century Arita-kiln dishes depicting clam, marine algae and seaweeds, however the present dish with it's striking pair of clams shells - most likely representative of fidelity and marriage - appears to be unrecorded.
The reverse shows a large underglaze blue Running Fuku mark and three spar marks, encircled by finely painted karakusa scrolls.
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Kakiemon type, Arita kiln, circa 1700-1725
A very fine enamelled Arita (iroe) Kakiemon porcelain footed bowl featuring flowering Hydrangea, representative of Gratitude, with scattered flowerheads to the underside
Arita kiln, Kakiemon, Hizen province, Japan
early Edo period (early 18th century
circa 1700-1725
Measuring 13.5 cm (5.31 in) in diameter; 3.2 cm (1.25 in) in height
The finely potted shallow bowl of white porcelain with an everted and very unusually lobed rim dressed in iron-brown fuchi-beni glaze (lip rouge) and enamelled with a continuous band of scrolling foliage and stylized flowerheads, the interior painted in overglaze yellow, green, blue, black and iron red enamels with flowering branches of hydrangea and peony to the centre, the gently curved sides sparsely decorated with scattered enamelled flowerheads, and raised on a circular foot.
The Hydrangea was a motif rarely used by the Kakiemon, yet boldly featured on this small bowl. Being symbolic of Gratitude, it is likely that this bowl was intended as a presentation piece, or a 'Small Token of Gratitude'.
The enamels are in bright, pristine condition, and the scattered flowerheads to the underside are particularly pleasing.
Ai-Kakiemon, Arita, export ware, circa 1680-1690
A very fine set of five late 17th century Japanese Kakiemon cherry blossom form five-petalled bowl dressed with fuchi-beni rim, the bold cobalt blue decoration based on a scene by Frederik van Frijtom (1632-1702) possibly of the Dutch East India trading harbour of Scheveningen, previously called 'Deshima Island' trading post.
Ai-Kakiemon type, Old Kakiemon A kiln, Arita, Hizen province, Japan
Edo period (late 17th century)
circa 1680-1690
The largest bowl measuring 12.5 cm (5 inches) in diameter
Mark:
Each marked with square "Ka" on the base, which appears on sherds discovered at the Kakiemon A kiln site and dated to circa 1680-90.
Another recorded example of the large-sized deep cherry blossom bowl is in the collection of Burghley House, Stamford, where it has remained since the early 18th century. Gordon Lang describes the bowl "of barbed petal form: painted with a continuous landscape in a style manifesting European influence; stylised Chinese figures, one leading an unidentifiable ruminant, an equestrian and a scholar and an attendant crossing a small bridge; a waterfall tumbling into a pool; a trading station and shipping in the distance". Lang references Soame Jenyns, noting that "in many respects the present example follows those pieces specifically ordered by the Dutch traders and which almost certainly utilized designs drawn up in Holland. the figures are reminiscent of those found on contemporary Chinese blue and white export ware even though seen indirectly through the eyes of a Western draughtsman. The man leading the animal is very close in feeling to similar subjects found on the so-called 'Deshima Island' dishes, and furthermore the method of contouring the rocks by means of a series of dashes is also to be seen on these latter dishes".
An identical example to the four smaller bowls in the Ashmolean Museum (Oxford).
Literature:
Gordon Lang "The Wrestling Boys: Japanese Porcelain at Burghley House" (1983), p. 16, no. 46.
Barry Davies Oriental Art "Ko-Imari Porcelain from the Collection of Oliver Impey" (1997), p.138, no.76.
Oliver Impey "Japanese Porcelain in the Ashmolean Museum" (2002).
Ko-Imari enamelled Kraak-style, Arita kiln, circa 1690-1700
An unusual enamelled, gilt and underglaze blue Kraak-style Ko-Imari dish
Arita kiln, painted in overglaze enamels of iron-red, yellow, green, turquoise and aubergine, with gilded highlights
Genroku era (1688-1703)
Measuring 14.3 cm in diameter
Mark:
a large cobalt blue fu-ki-cho-shun four-character mark (meaning: perpetual spring of riches and honours) on reverse
Literature:
An identical example illustrated in The Shibata Collection, volume IV, no.97.
The border with divided panels decorated with precious objects alternated by stylized upright flowers.
Kraak porcelain is a type of early blue and white Chinese export porcelain produced from the Wanli reign (1573-1620) until around 1640. It is named after the Portuguese ships (Carracks), in which it was transported. Kraak-ware was the first Chinese export ware to arrive in Europe in large quantities. It is usually Blue and White, decorated with stylized flowers such as peonies and chrysanthemums, and with wide border panels. Wares included large dishes, bowls and vases. After the fall of the Ming dynasty and the closure of most Chinese kilns, the Arita kilns in Japan began fulfilling the orders for Kraakware placed by the Dutch East India Company for export to Europe. This Japanes enameled and gilded Kraak-dish is an exceptionally rare example of the style.
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Ai-Kutani, Arita kiln, circa 1660-1670
A finely painted Ai-Kutani style circular Japanese dish decorated in tonal underglaze blue with a Japanese long-tailed bushtit (Shima Enaga) in a snow-covered garden with banded hedges
Arita kiln, Ai-Kutani type, Hizen province, Japan
early Edo period (17th Century), Kanbun Era/Enpo Era (1660-1681)
circa 1660-80
Measuring 5.7 inches diameter (14.5 cm diameter)
Sharply potted biscuit-fired porcelain of circular form with a delicately flared rim, the interior superbly painted in contrasting tones of underglaze cobalt blue, featuring a Japanese long-tailed bushtit (Shima Enaga) perched upon the knarled branches of a flowering plum tree in the foreground, a snow-clad garden and neatly banded hedge fencing in the background. The scene encircled with a single cobalt blue line.
The underside encircled with scrolling karakusa and flowerheads, some kiln-grit adhering to the footrim, a single spar mark within a cobalt-blue circle to the base.
Ai-Kakiemon, Arita kiln, circa 1680
A rare Ai-Kakiemon style Arita koro incense burner
Arita kiln, Hizen province, Japan
Early Edo period (17th Century), Enpo Era (1673-1681)
circa 1680
Measuring 6.8 cm (2.83 inches) diameter; 5.8 cm (2.67 inches) high
Rather small and thickly, yet finely, potted biscuit-fired porcelain of cylindrical form with a flattened rim edged in fuchi-beni (iron rim glaze), the upright sides slightly tapering to the short waisted foot, and decorated in underglaze blue with a continuous landscape scene featuring a pair of anglers by a riverbank near a viewing pavilion, fishing nets strung out to dry near a willow tree and two fishing boats, another viewing pavilion nestled among mountain peaks and rocky crags in the distance.
A cobalt-blue double ring to the base, some kiln-git adhering to the edge of the footrim, the glazed interior with a very small lacquer restoration to the edge of the interior rim.
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Measuring 13.9 cm (5.47 in) in diameter; 4.4 cm (1.73 in) in height.
A well enamelled and very finely potted foliate shallow bowl, the body of milky white nigoshide porcelain with a transparent glaze, painted in the Kakiemon palette of iron red, brilliant blue, turquoise green and pale yellow with black outlining, depicting a frolicking shi-shi lion alongside flowering peonies.
The reverse is typically undecorated. A spar mark to the glazed base, some kiln-grit adhering to the interior of the unglazed footrim.
This bright white nigoshide body is a fine example of the white porcelain paste and pure glaze used for only the finest enamelled wares of this period. This body, composed of kaolin and petunste, achieved purity through a time consuming process in which the Arita potters repeatedly levigated and washed the clay.
An rare and pleasing pattern.
A fine Kakiemon enamelled deep dish of nigoshide porcelain
delicately enamelled in the Kakiemon style
with a frolicking shi-shi Lion and sprays of flowering peony
Arita kiln, Kakiemon, Hizen province, Japan
Early Edo period (late 17th century), Genroku era (1688-1703)
circa 1690